James Earl Davis

Temple University

Bernard C. Watson Endowed Chair in Urban Education and Professor

James Earl Davis is the Bernard C. Watson Chair in Urban Education at Temple University and Professor in the Department of Policy, Organizational and Leadership Studies. He also holds affiliate faculty appointments in the Department of Africology and African American Studies and the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program. With an explicit concern for gender equity in education, his research has provided new insights into how social contexts of education inform racial and gender experiences and expressions, especially for Black boys and emerging adult men. More specifically, his work has investigated the construction of gender identity and its ties to engagement and performance at different education levels, from early learning to higher education. Davis's research focuses on gender-based education policy and reform, social stratification and urban neighborhood-university relations, and the intersection of schooling options and housing inequality. His work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Education, Spencer Foundation, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the William Penn Foundation. A pioneering contributor to research in Black male studies in education, Professor Davis has sought to advance the field's understanding of the confluence of gender and race and how broader contexts inform identity and postsecondary possibilities. A former National Academy of Education/Spencer Postdoctoral Fellow and a Fulbright-Hays (Zimbabwe) Scholar, Davis's scholarly work and professional contributions have been honored with the Distinguished Research Career Award-Center for Research and Mentoring of Black Male Students and Teachers, Association for the Study of Higher Education Distinguished Mentor Award, Distinguished Contributions to Gender Equity in Education Research Award, and AERA Fellow status. As a former Interim Dean, his leadership has been recognized for its inclusive, relational, and distributive practice. Throughout his career, he has been instrumental in advancing collaborative university relationships with schools, districts, and community-based organizations, increasing external grant funding for research and service initiatives, mentoring and supporting early career faculty and graduate students, and developing university place-based strategies and partnerships. Professor Davis holds a BA in Sociology from Morehouse College, a Ph.D. from Cornell University, and completed postdoctoral study in the Division of Education Policy at the Educational Testing Service.